1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a grip or handle of a sports pole, such as a ski pole and, more particularly, a pole of the type having such grip or handle at its upper end.
2. Description of Background and Relevant Information
On sports poles, such as ski poles, the handle, or grip, or grip handle, is generally provided with a closed loop strap known as a wrist strap, which is affixed to the handle, and through which the skier passes his hand in order to avoid losing his pole when he unexpectedly opens his hand on the handle. Another function of the wrist strap is to enable a better transmission of forces, particularly when leaning on the pole, either for making turns in alpine skiing, or for the stride or skating step in cross-country skiing, or yet for in-line roller skating or ice skating, but also for walking.
To be really efficient, a wrist strap must partially encircle the wrist, with the two end strands of the loop connected to the handle passing along the palm of the hand.
However, the majority of skiers, particularly novice skiers, do not position the wrist strap properly, which completely eliminates the efficiency thereof and the effect of its transmission of forces. Moreover, to improve the quality of the impulse force on the pole, the poles used, particularly for cross-country skiing, include a wrist strap that is conventionally connected to the rear surface of the handle. According to this arrangement, the hand takes support on the wrist strap, inwardly in the area of the metacarpus of the thumb, on the thumb muscle. However, this support obtained on a muscle is inefficient and can prove painful for said muscle.
This is the reason why it has already been proposed to integrate the wrist strap into a glove or the like which can be slipped onto the skier's hand, and to connect it to the handle by a removable connecting system constituted by complementary mechanisms arranged on the handle, on the one hand, and on the wrist strap integrated into the glove, on the other hand.
Such a device has been envisioned and described in the commonly owned French Patent Application No. 2 634 388 and related U.S. Pat. No. 5,092,629, and which, by merely putting on the glove or an adequate envelope/sheath provided with an element for connecting to the handle of the pole, makes it possible to obtain an adequate connection between the user's hand and the pole, namely a connection with transmission of forces.
Such an improvement therefore makes it possible to particularly improve the transmission of forces.
The problem of transmission of forces also exists on ski poles or the like which do not comprise a wrist strap.